Collision Course

Looking at Allie, I wondered how she was going to take the question I was about to ask, but knowing I would loose my courage if I did not do it now, I leapt. “How would you feel about quitting your internship, at least for now?” I asked.

“Why would I do that?” She asked, before enjoying another bite of her steak.

“I had a sit down with Paul today and he brought up some things that I agree with.” I began. “He thought it might be better if you come with me on tour. That way we don’t have to be apart.”

“Come with you, on tour. I hadn’t even thought about that.” She reacted with intrigue in her eyes. “I suppose we would have had to figure something out either way.”

“Hear me out.” I wanted to tell her the plan, to make her more comfortable with the idea. “We can find doctors along the way, or fly you back to London for checkups. Then we can be together every day, and you get to see me in my element. Plus, the last leg of the tour is in the States, so if you wanted, we can have the baby in the Unites States.”

“Liam, it doesn’t matter to me where we have this child together.” She leaned over the table and took my hand. “As long as I have you everything will work out. And as for going on tour, I guess it is probably the best idea. I will have to figure out the logistics of giving up my internship, whether or not I have to give up my master’s studies and what not. But touring it is.” She said.

“That’s it? You will come?” I asked, almost shocked that I had not had to convince her at all to come with me.

“Yes, love. That is it. We agree.” She said.

“Then you better get packing, we leave in two weeks and are gone for six months.” I said. We changed the topic for the rest of the night, enjoying being in love and knowing that we were going to be together every day was enough to make both of us more then giddy.

“Allie!” Meg squealed as I entered the apartment with boxes in tow. “You’re alive!” We hugged like long lost lovers who had not seen each other in years.

“Meg, I cant breath.” I laughed.

“Sorry, it’s just… Oh Allie I have missed you. And I have so much to tell you!!! Sit, sit, sit!” She was talking at full speed, almost to the point of not making sense.

We gabbed as women do so often, gossiping and telling stories about everything and nothing. Both of us called into work sick, wanting to take time to be normal. Sitting on the overstuffed couch in what would have looked to anyone looking in the window as the most uncomfortable position, I learned more about her then I had previously known. It was more then a bonding moment, but the moment when we turned into sisters. After gaining her approval of me leaving school, for now, and going on tour, she confessed that she already had plans to fly out to three of the tour stops to see Harry. It might not be love yet, but they were in infatuation.

As three in the afternoon rolled around, Meg and I made our way into my bedroom to start packing up for my move to my real home. “You know I am going to miss you, right?” She asked as she moved the odds and ends on my dresser into a box, careful to wrap each object in a piece of paper.

“I know you are, but it is not like I have been spending that much time here anyways.” I said from the other side of the room, tackling my pile of books.

“I don’t mean miss you living in the apartment, I mean being able to see you whenever I want. Who am I going to be able to drag out to a new club now? And what about when I want to stop by your work just to say hi?” Maggie blabbered.

“I am sure you will have no trouble finding someone to annoy.” I said absentmindedly as I taped up the first box. Looking at the little progress we had made, I asked, “How is it that I have only lived here for two and a half months, and yet I have accumulated so much useless stuff?”

“It is a gift that all us women have. We just tend to shop, and collect, and shop some more.” She said.

Making one last trek up the elevator to our pent house apartment, relief rushed my body as the doors opened. It had been a long day. Packing and moving the boxes had drained me of my strength. Even after a nap, I still felt like I should sleep the day away. Not that the pregnancy helped with my exhaustion, but moving seemed to drain me of the remaining life. Sitting down with Rodger had not helped me. Although he understood why I was withdrawing from my internship, he was not every pleasant about it. He even went as far as to say that it was clear to him from the beginning that I was not meant to be a Medievalist and that I was just wasting his time. I had left the British Museum with tears in my eyes, not ready to give up on my dreams of being a historian and of working there, but knowing that Liam was right and that I would much rather go on tour with him then only be able to see him every once and a while.

“Oh, common!” Someone screamed from inside the apartment.

Turning the key in the lock, I wiped the exhaustion off my face and put on a smile. Loki greeted me at the door, lapping at my legs and cycling me. He had come to know that I would greet him every day upon arriving home, just like I did with the animals my family had while I grew up.

“No, No, No, No!” Someone yelled at the TV that was playing at a high volume. Zayn and Liam were sitting on the couch watching football. It was still a little strange for me to say football rather then soccer, but it did make sense to me why that is what the rest of the world called it. Though football never made much sense to me, I was able to deduce that the team both Zayn and Liam were cheering for was not doing the best since with in a few seconds of me walking in, both were on their feet screaming at the screen.

Just as I took my seat on the couch, commercials started playing. Zayn and Liam began to cool down, though both were visibly flustered.

“Hey love.” Liam said, walking over to me and kissing me. “You look tired.”

“I am.” I replied, giving him a smile.

“Want something to eat? Zayn brought food.” He said but did not wait to hear my answer.

Sitting on the couch with just Zayn, he turned to me and smiled. Patting my leg with his left hand as a reassuring gesture, I saw for the first time the tattoo on his ring finger. I took a hold of his hand gently and brought it closer to my face to examine it. “I have never seen this tattoo before.” I said.

“It is my wedding band.” He stated in a melancholy voice.

“I didn’t know you are married.” I said utterly flabbergasted.

“We are separated.” Zayn said more monotone then melancholy. “For the past four months.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, knowing that he was not ready to talk to me about that yet.

“Ask me again a few months.” He said just as the football match was coming back on.

Notes

This is the final chapter. To continue the story, Read Crash Course.